Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Ariana Grande - Breathin - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords C9, G/B, Em7, G, D/F#, D Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Em7 G C9
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Some days, things just take way too much of my energy
G/B C9 D
I look up and the whole room's spinning
Em7 D/F# G
You take my cares away
G/B C9 G/B C9 D
I get so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate
Em7 D/F# G
Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'
G/B C9 G/B C9 D
How do I know if this sh*t's fabri cated?
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Time goes by and I can't control my mind
C9 G/B C9 D
Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time
Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
D Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Sometimes it's hard to find, find my way up into the clouds
G/B C9 D
Tune it out, they can be so loud
Em7 D/F# G
You remind me of a time
G/B C9 G/B C9
When things weren't so complicated
C9 D
All I need is to see your face
Em7 D/F# G
Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'
G/B C9 G/B C9 D
How do I know if this sh*t's fabri cated?
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Time goes by and I can't control my mind
C9 G/B C9 D
Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time
Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
D Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
Em7 D/F# G
My, my air
G/B C9
My, my air
G/B C9 D
My, my air, my air
Em7 D/F# G
My, my air
G/B C9
My, my air
G/B C9 D
My, my air, my air
Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
D Em7 D/F# G
Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'
G/B C9 G/B C9
And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'
G/B C9 D
I keep on breathin' ohhhhh
Em7 D/F# G G/B C9
Time goes by and I can't control my mind
G/B C9 D
I keep on breathin'
End of song Play again?
Ariana Grande - Breathin Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Ariana Grande – Breathin: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Em7 and ends on D. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| III7 | C9 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G · Bb · D | 40× |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #IV | D/F# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 18× |
| #IV | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 15× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| bvi7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 19× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | — |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| V/iii | G/B | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 36× |
| V/iii | G | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 19× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | — |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| V/v | G/B | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 36× |
| V/v | G | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 19× |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V7 | C9 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G · Bb · D | 40× |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #VI | D/F# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 18× |
| #VI | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 15× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| #vii7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 19× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 6 different chords appear 147 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. G/B, G act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over C9, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G/B, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em7, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When C9 comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Em7, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. C9, G/B, Em7, G carry the song: III7–V/iii–bvi7–V/iii relative to Ab, V7–V/v–#vii7–V/v relative to Fm. C9 is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (III7), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on D, letting the Ab side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Ariana Grande - Breathin Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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